Many patents and other technical literature disclose systems and improvements in which AC electrical power is generated using a free-piston Stirling engine drivingly connected to a linear alternator. Typically, the alternator has an armature coil and a magnetic flux source, such as a permanent magnet. The flux source and the armature coil are magnetically linked and relatively reciprocate with respect to each other. Ordinarily, the flux source is mechanically linked to the piston of the free-piston Stirling engine for driving the flux source in linear reciprocation.
As is known to those skilled in the art, some electrical energy consuming devices can be designed to operate more efficiently or effectively with multi-phase power. Typically three phase electrical energy systems are used in which the well known wye and delta loads are connected to the three or four conductors of the three phase source. That source has three voltages each 120 degrees out of phase with the other two.
Although multi-phase power generation is common with rotating machines, we are aware of no linear alternator connected to a free-piston Stirling engine which has been able to provide multi-phase output power.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide multi-phase electrical power output from a linear alternator drivingly connected to a free-piston Stirling engine and to provide such multi-phase power in the least costly and most efficient manner.